From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
The Ebonyi State Chapter of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) have lamented over the heavy yoke allegedly placed on them by the State Government.
They would want the state governor, Chief Francis Nwifuru to help and mitigate the multiple taxations imposed on them.
State Chairman of NAPPS and proprietor of Holy Ghost Foundation Schools, Anthony Okoh, who made their position known after the body’s joint meeting with the State Ministry of Education, in Abakaliki, said the numerous taxes were impeding the development of education in the state.
He explained that the meeting was prompted by the indiscriminate taxations imposed on their members and the litigation on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) against some of the private schools: “I am advising my members to remain law abiding because, I believe that the problems will be sorted out with time.”
Immediate past National Vice President of NAPPS, Chief Onyeoma Kelechi decried the N1,500 levy on every student in a certificate class in the state.
He stated that the recent increase in examinations fees might result to high rate of school drop-outs and appealed that the state government extended the gesture of defraying WASSEC and NECO fees to children in the private schools: “The children in the private schools are not there because their parents are rich rather as a result of their desire for qualitative and comprehensive education, he had equally shown enormous magnanimity to other sectors.
“Thus, since we are playing a complementary role to the government, we are appealing that he should remember us too.”
Kelechi noted that private schools in the state engage over 7,000 workers whom ordinarily would have been idle due to lack of job, so, their members deserved grant in aid to enable them standardize their schools.
Commissioner for Education, Prof Paul Nwobasi acknowledged the issues raised by the NAPPS including the demolition of substandard schools by government and some conflicting payments.
He disclosed that he had directed the withdrawal of the law suit and advised the proprietors to articulate their problems for possible consideration and resolution: “I have stopped the litigation because it is unfair for not giving them fair hearing before taking them to court, they ought to have been given notice, this is one of the agenda of the meeting.
“Concerning the school closure, it is a continuous process as far as the people keep on building illegal schools even presently, we have sealed 192.”
The commissioner disclosed that the team on closure of schools had been assigned a magistrate and bailiff for the prosecution of proprietors that reopened their schools without approval after the exercise.